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(No Model.)

G. W. SLEEPER.

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES.

No.2954826. x Patnted.Mar.25, 1884.

Nir Smarts GEORGE WV. SLEEPER, OF WESTBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM A. REED, OF SAME PLACE.

MANUFACTURE OF SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 295,826, dated March25, 1884.

Application filed December 22, 1883.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that l, GEORGE W. SLEEPER, of Westborough, in the county of\Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Manufacturing Shoes; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is afull, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to'the manufacture of shoes, and more particularlyto the uppers thereof, in the class of what are called seamlessshoes-that is to say, in the class of shoes having onlya seam joiningthe upper at the heel.

My invention consists, first, of an improved method of forming an upperwith the counter and vamp all in one piece; and, secondly, it consistsof an improved shoe formed of one piece in the upper without crimping,and with a single seam attheheel,thetwo quarters being of leather formedby splitting the vamp.

A method of carrying out my invention is shown in theaccompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 represents the form of the piece of leatherfrom which the upper is cut. Fig. 2 shows the form of this piece afterthe splitting and cutting have been performed. Fig. 3repsents thecompleted upper in plan.

In the drawings, A represents thewamp, and B the part which formsthecounters, these parts being shown in Fig. 1 as they appear in the blankcut from the leather without splitting. The vamp A retains its shape,and is unchanged in the continued operation of mak- 5ing the shoe,excepting that it is preferably thinned down to correspond to the otherportions, as hereinafter described. The end B is split into two equalthicknesses of leather down to the vamp on line a: w of Fig. 1. Then theupper part is cut on the line y y of Fig. 1. In Fig. 2 this upper partof the split leather isshown as laid over to the right. Itforms the (Nomodel.)

right-hand side of the upper. and is marked B. marked b,being separatedfrom the upper part, B, by thelineyy. It may beshaved offsmoothly, andthus be removed from the upper. The under side of the split portion iscut on the line i t, and the part B, formed by this cut, constitutes theleft-hand side of the upper. The part b of the under side may also beshaved off smoothly, and thus removed, and a complete upper, with thevamp integral with the counter, is formed out of a piece of leather ofless surface than that of the upper when comturned up at an angle to thevamp'surface, theupper requires no crimping.

The leather may be dressed and finished in any well known way. Themethod is the same whether a high or low shoe be made. The upper isjoined to the sole and the shoe finished in the ordinary manner, theedges f f and t t being united to form the vertical seam at the heel.

I claim as my invention- 1. The hereinheforedescribed method ofFurther,the two parts B and B being The remaining portion of the upperpart is forming the upper of a shoe, consisting in GEORGE W. SLEEPER.

Witnesses:

W. TROWBRIDGE FoRBEs, FERDINAND G. MILLER.

